Puerto Rico firms, groups announce new leadership moves
This edition of Climbing the Corporate Ladder includes new executive appointments and leadership changes across Puerto Rico’s legal, business, academic and nonprofit sectors.
Napoli Shkolnik adds former prosecutors to staff
Law firm Napoli Shkolnik LLP has expanded its litigation team in Puerto Rico with the addition of two former federal prosecutors.
Sean P. Murphy has joined as senior attorney. Murphy previously served as a senior trial lawyer at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico, where he investigated and prosecuted transnational drug and money laundering operations. He also led the Department of Justice’s response to a major national criminal event and was an assistant district attorney in the Bronx handling violent crime and narcotics cases.
Jorge L. Matos has been named senior associate. Matos served as lead attorney in high-profile prosecutions at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Puerto Rico, including cases involving international drug trafficking and money laundering. He also served as a military attorney, earning multiple Army Commendation Medals, and previously worked as a DEA special agent.
The firm said both appointments strengthen its environmental and complex commercial litigation practices, adding significant trial and investigative experience to its national portfolio.
“Sean and Jorge further solidify the exceptional talent bench we’ve built at Napoli Shkolnik,” said Paul Napoli, founding partner. “As former federal prosecutors, they handled some of the most complex criminal investigations in Puerto Rico. Their talent strengthens our ability to take on the toughest environmental and commercial cases for our clients.”
CNE names new president
The Center for a New Economy has named Rosanna Torres-Pizarro as its new president, the first woman to lead the organization in its 26-year history.
Torres-Pizarro previously directed CNE’s Washington, D.C., office and held roles at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of the Treasury, the Office of Management and Budget, the Census Bureau and the U.S. House of Representatives.
During her earlier tenure at CNE, Torres-Pizarro was instrumental in securing permanent approval of the federal Earned Income Tax Credit supplement and expanded Medicaid funding for Puerto Rico.
“The CNE has been a benchmark in the development of public policies in Puerto Rico. Today, more than ever, we need clear ideas, rigorous data and a true commitment to the well-being of our people. I am honored to return to lead the organization in this new phase,” Torres-Pizarro said.
In tandem with her appointment, Miguel A. “Mike” Soto-Class, CNE’s founding president, has assumed the role of chairman of the board of directors, continuing to provide strategic guidance as the organization begins a new phase of its work shaping Puerto Rico’s economic policy.
Center for Advanced Studies names new board
The Center for Advanced Studies of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean has announced the new composition of its board of trustees, with five members who began seven-year terms Aug. 12. They joined two trustees who have served since late 2024.
The new members are Enid D. Flores, Esq.; Dr. Pedro Ángel Reina-Pérez; Sonya Canetti-Mirabal; Freddy Vélez-García; and Dr. Rafael A. Torrech-San Inocencio. They serve alongside Dr. Mayra Rosario-Urrutia and Reynaldo R. Alegría, Esq., who joined the board in 2024.
At its first official meeting, the board elected its Executive Committee: Reynaldo R. Alegría, Esq., president; Dr. Mayra Rosario-Urrutia, vice president; Dr. Pedro Reina-Pérez, secretary; and Enid D. Flores-Ruiz, Esq., treasurer.
The board said its priorities include meeting accreditation requirements, strengthening finances, strategic planning and fundraising as the institution approaches its 50th anniversary in 2026.
From left: Enid D. Flores-Ruiz, Dr. Rafael A. Torrech-San Inocencio, Sonya Canetti-Mirabal, Dr. Mayra Rosario-Urrutia, Reynaldo R. Alegría, Dr. Pedro Reina-Pérez and Freddy Vélez-García.
CAAPPR names governing board
The College of Architects and Landscape Architects of Puerto Rico (CAAPPR, in Spanish) has established its governing board for the 2025–2026 term, led by Olga E. Angueira-Andraca, the first female landscape architect to preside over the organization’s more than 1,300 members.
Angueira-Andraca, a graduate of the University of Miami and Harvard University Graduate School of Design, previously served as president of the Institute of Landscape Architects of Puerto Rico and as CAAPPR’s executive director from 2013 to 2018.
She currently works as a landscape architect at Integra Design Group and is part of the founding faculty of the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico’s Graduate Program in Landscape Architecture.
Her work plan focuses on affordable housing, public space, landscape and urban design, and strengthening ties with academia while advancing sustainable development policies.
Other board members include: José del Valle-Boria, vice chair; Reily Calderón-Rivera, secretary; Víctor Vega-Sanabria, auditor; Edwin de la Cruz, treasurer; Elí Mariano-Martínez, director of professional practice; Rebeca Vicens, director of education; Saritza Martínez-Rodríguez, director of technical and professional affairs; José Juan Terraza, director of legislative affairs; Sofía Capllonch, delegate of the certified architects; and Carmen Asencio, liaison delegate of the Institute of Landscape Architects.
MZLS announces new leadership
MZLS, a law and consulting firm with offices in San Juan and Washington, D.C., announced a new leadership structure as part of its strategic reorganization.
Retired Puerto Rico Supreme Court Justice Edgardo Rivera-García has been appointed as the firm’s official spokesperson, a role that positions him as a leading public voice in legal and regulatory discussions affecting Puerto Rico. He will also serve as practice leader for Litigation and Appeals.
Managing Partner Anthony Maceira-Zayas will continue in his role while focusing on expanding the firm’s Washington, D.C., presence, including client representation before federal agencies and strengthening government relations.
The restructuring also formalizes several new leadership roles: Attorney Mabel Sotomayor-Hernández will head Public Law and Administrative Proceedings; Attorney Anthony O. Maceira-Zayas will lead Commercial Law; Attorney Yazmet Pérez-Giusti will oversee Health Law; Attorney Simón E. Carlo-Valentín will guide Tax Law; and Attorney Jorge A. Meléndez-Rivera will direct Construction and Environmental Law.
The Business Development Committee will include Attorney Simón Carlo, Attorney Francisco González de la Matta and Attorney Ginnell Torres-Adrover.
The firm said the new structure is designed to support growth, strengthen public engagement and improve the delivery of specialized legal services.
Empresas Caparra names key leadership
Empresas Caparra, parent company of San Patricio Plaza and Liberty Square, has announced several key leadership appointments.
Maribel Burgos-Mercado has been named vice president of Operations. She brings extensive experience in real estate, construction and property management, and will oversee operational processes, property management and long-term strategic planning.
Mahara Ruiz-Veray, who joined the company in 2021 as a leasing specialist and was promoted to manager in 2022, has been appointed director of Leasing. She will lead tenant relations and leasing strategy.
Carlos Díaz-Negrón, with 14 years of experience in marketing, advertising and event production, most recently at Buena Vibra Group, has been named director of Marketing. He will guide marketing initiatives and brand positioning for the company’s properties.
Carlos Izquierdo-Fortuño has been named leasing manager. He brings experience managing large shopping centers in Puerto Rico and the United States, including lease negotiations and tenant portfolio management.
President Adolfo “Tito” González said the appointments strengthen the company’s leadership team as it continues to develop projects and enhance the tenant and guest experience at its properties.
From left, Carlos Izquierdo-Fortuño, leasing manager; Mahara Ruiz-Veray, director of Leasing; Maribel Burgos-Mercado, vice president of Operations; and Carlos Díaz-Negrón, director of Marketing.
PRSA names Puerto Rico exec. to 2025 class
The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) has named Iris Rivera to its 2025 College of Fellows class. She is the only Puerto Rican among the eight professionals being inducted this year.
Rivera, a former president of the Puerto Rico Association of Public Relations Professionals (ARPR, in Spanish), joins a group recognized for more than 20 years of professional experience, accreditation by the Universal Accreditation Board, and contributions to the advancement of the profession.
She will be officially inducted at a gala on Oct. 27, in Washington, D.C. Rivera becomes one of only a handful of Puerto Rican professionals to receive the honor since the College of Fellows was established in 1989.
ARPR President Marisa Vega said Rivera’s selection validates her “exemplary career, her commitment to excellence and her valuable contribution to the public relations profession in Puerto Rico.”
Legal Aid Society names executive director
The Legal Aid Society of Puerto Rico has appointed Attorney Alejandra Belmar-Jiménez as executive director, the first woman to hold the position in the organization’s 70-year history.
Belmar-Jiménez holds a bachelor’s in business administration and a Juris Doctor from the University of Puerto Rico, as well as an LL.M. from Columbia University. She previously worked as a CPA, served as a litigator and office manager at SAL, and spent a decade as a clinical professor at the University of Puerto Rico School of Law.
Chairman Jesús Rivera-Delgado thanked outgoing Executive Director Félix Vélez-Alejandro for his 10 years of service. Vélez-Alejandro will return to his role as director of Professional Development.
Iberia names new rep for Puerto Rico
Iberia has appointed Ana Adela-Vásquez as its new representative for Puerto Rico. She will oversee the airline’s commercial and administrative operations while continuing to lead its commercial strategy in the Dominican Republic and Cuba, consolidating the company’s presence across three key Caribbean markets.
Vásquez joined Iberia in 1991 and has held several leadership positions, including manager for the Dominican Republic and head of the airline’s delegation in Cuba. She also served as president of the Dominican Republic’s Airlines Association.
Her appointment comes as Iberia expands service between San Juan and Madrid to nine weekly flights, with plans to increase to 11, alongside daily flights to Santo Domingo.
Vásquez said she is honored to assume the role at a time when Iberia is strengthening its market presence in the Caribbean. She holds a degree in hotel management from the Pontifical Catholic Mother and Teacher University.
